Pride, Prejudice, & Zombies (2016) Review

Based off the book series by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith is the live adaptation of a love story taking place during a zombie apocalypse. As a plague devastates an English village of Meryton, Elizabeth Bennett is determined to rid of the zombie infestation while also falling for Mr. Darcy. With relationships turning on every corner, trust soon turns to desperation as England rages against the ill born disease. The film is directed by Burr Steers and stars Lily James, Sam Riley, and Matt Smith.

Curious going into the movie I was intrigued by the trailers over the last month; especially with Lily James starring as the lead role. James did a great job in last year’s live adaptation of ‘Cinderella‘ and returns here to bring another book to life. If you go into ‘Pride, Prejudice, & Zombies‘ thinking your going to get an action packed movie then you will be sorely mistaken. This unfortunately is what took me by surprise as having not read the book I wasn’t sure what to expect. With that said, the movie is a mess.

Starting with the narrative we’re introduced to a village within England that has come to be populated with zombies. As the opening credits hits we are given a backstory to the events that led up to the plague and how local cities are dealing with the zombie apocalypse. Then we see Lily James who plays Elizabeth Bennett, who with five sisters stands side by side as they clean up the outbreak when it shows up. Not too long later we get a love story developing between Ms. Bennett and Mr. Darcy which then leads to the entire movie focusing on them and not so much zombies.

Some of the positives I’ll give is the fact that the film suits the time period of 17th century London. The performance by Lily James as the heroine ass kicker is also to be commended. Having started on television and then working her way onto the big stage with ‘Wrath of the Titans‘, ‘Broken‘, James is getting on peoples radar as she should be. Her co-star in Sam Riley who plays Mr. Darcy was good and nothing more then that. His ability to play the male version of James’ role worked out well as they each possessed qualities that brought friction as they fought for each other’s love.

Having said the positives we now delve into the negatives of the film. There was very little action or suspense which came as a surprise considering the movie was ultimately a love story. There was more dialogue that took place over action that literally you could have taken the zombie component out altogether. Sometimes your thinking what was the reason for having zombies when it’s the living that’s causing more trouble. And the romance between Lily James and Sam Riley seemed neutral. I wasn’t rooting for either one of them that by the end of the movie your forced to accept the outcome. The buildup could’ve been better with more to be at stake. Then a love triangle looked like it was starting to shape up and that’s when I was over the movie entirely. The movie didn’t know what it wanted to be; thus lacking an identity.

As confusing as the movie was with poor editing and fast cuts that denied you the pleasure of watching the action in full your left dissatisfied. I do not recommend ‘Pride, Prejudice, & Zombies‘ if your looking for an action zombie flick. Instead you will get a romance glossed over by mild violence and a tame script.

Rating: 5/10

What do you guys think? Do you plan to watch ‘Pride, Prejudice, & Zombies‘? Comment below and share your thoughts.